A House Made Of Thought

Bienhome Muivah *

Christmas Celebration at Waithou Phunal Village on 25 Dec 2014 :: Pix - Shankar Khangembam/

There are Satanic strongholds over countries and communities, and there are strongholds which influence churches and individuals. Wherever a stronghold exists, it is demonically induced pattern of thinking. Specifically, it is a house made of thoughts which has become a dwelling place for Satanic activity.

A warning before deliverance!

Now when the unclean spirit goes out of a man, it passes through waterless places, seeking rest, and does not find it. Then it says, I will return to my house from which I came (Mt. 12:43, 44).

Although the nature of an unclean spirit is by definition, spiritual and not physical, it still seeks a dwelling place, a house where it may rest. Jesus revealed that there is a dimension to human nature that actually can host an evil spirit and provide it a type of rest. If that is so, let us expose the nature of man and uncover that aspect in us which can become the construction material within which a spirit might lodge.

First let us realize that a demon cannot dwell in a true godly spirit. Through regeneration, the human spirit becomes the home of the Holy Spirit. Indeed, it is because the Holy Spirit is within us that we have discernment concerning the enemy’s inroads.

The aspect of human nature which is most similar in substance and disposition to the nature of the evil one is the carnal thought-life, which is a dimension of the soul, or personality, of man. It is uniquely in our uncrucified thoughts and unsanctified attitudes that unclean spirits, masking themselves as our thoughts and hiding themselves in our attitudes, find access into our lives.

Jesus continued, and when the [the unclean spirit] comes, it finds [as house] unoccupied, swept, and put in order. Then goes, and takes along with it seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and they go in and live there; and the last state of that man becomes worse than the first (Mt. 12:44,45).

If you are going to be successful in the spiritual battle, your warfare must be waged according to the scriptures. For if you are ignorant of the necessity of bringing Christ into the delivered soul, there is the danger that the last state of that man might become worse than the first (Mt. 12:45; 2 Peter 2:20). Christ must enter and be allowed to build His house of righteousness in the very area where Satan once dwelt. Except in cases of physical affliction, deliverance should not be attempted for anyone unwillingly, to submit their thought-life to Jesus Christ!

Before we were saved, you and I were the undisturbed possessions of the devil; Satan was like a fully armed strong man guarding the homestead of our souls. On the day of our salvation, however a glorious someone stronger, the Lord Jesus Christ, attacked and overpowered Satan and stripped away his armor. Our born again experiences may be widely varied on a natural level, but in the spirit-realm, a very similar war was waged and won for each of us.

If we could have seen into the invincible world, we would have observed the Holy-Spirit working with the angels of God to destroy the enemy’s line of defense, his armor. What exactly was this armor that protected the devil and kept us from Salvation? The armor upon which demons rely consists of our own thoughts, attitudes, and opinions which are in agreement with evil.

What Jesus described as armor, the apostle Paul classified as strongholds. It is important to recognize that, in speaking of strongholds, the apostle is addressing the church! It is foolish to assume that our salvation experience has eliminated all the wrong ideas and attitudes and the strongholds which are still influencing our perceptions and behavior. Yes, old things passed away, and truly new things have come, but until we are walking in the fullness of Christ, we should not assume that the process of change is over.

We will be identifying some of these strongholds … For now, let us say that, on an individual level, the foundation of our continued success in warfare comes from yielding to the Lord as He reveals these strongholds and agreeing with Him through repentance in pulling them down.

It is important to recognize that, when we speak of strongholds, we are not talking about random thoughts or occasional sins. Rather the strongholds that affect us, most are those which are so hidden in our thinking patterns that we do not recognize them nor identify them as evil.

Remember, Jesus revealed that unclean spirits are seeking rest. The sense of rest they seek originates from being in harmony with their environment. In other words, when our thought-life is in agreement with unbelief, fear, or habitual sin, the enemy has rest.

It is significant that the process of deliverance quite often involves a season of inner conflict and turmoil. This is a good sign, signifying the individuals’ willing desires to be free. We should expect a time where we must exercise our authority in Christ as we resist the devil (1 Peter 5:9). Paul speaks of the struggle of the church against principalities and powers. There will be a period of fighting involved in the process of pulling down strongholds, for you are breaking your agreement with foe who will fight to remain in your life.

In order to recognize what is wrong in us, we must perceive God’s standard of right. David in the height of ecstasy and Job in the pit of misery as well as all of us in between, have asked the same age-old question, what is man? The writers of Hebrews ask the same question but then answers it under the inspiration of the spirit (Heb. 2:9). Jesus Christ is the model of what God considers typical for the new-creation man (Eph. 4:23). He is not just Our Savior, He is the indwelling One who conforms us to His image, the first-born of a family of glorious sons (Heb. 2:10; Rom. 8:28,29).

Jesus brings forth life as we surrender to Him, abide in Him and in His word. it is this coming forth in us of the presence of the Lord Jesus that makes the weapons of our warfare mighty, empowering our words with authority as we pull down strongholds.

Blessed Sunday!